▲
2
▼
The Nintendo Entertainment System versions of Defender II, Joust, and Millipede were all conceived as part of a failed deal between Nintendo and Atari to distribute the Famicom internationally. Development was outsourced to HAL Laboratory, who decided to publish the games themselves in 1987 after Nintendo took international distribution of the console into their own hands two years prior. One additional title was put together as part of the Atari deal, but it was never released, with none of the parties involved revealing what it was.
Because of the circumstances behind their conception, the Japanese versions of these three games all feature title screens reminiscent of Famicom launch titles, with the copyright information uniformly reading "COPYRIGHT 1983 ATARI". When Nintendo of America exported the games to North America in 1988, the title screens were made more elaborate and the copyright info was updated. The ways of accessing the game's modes are also changed in the North American release; instead of having them all available on the title screen, the player must press Start in Defender II and Millipede to bring up a menu (itself displaying additional copyright information). In Joust, pressing Start skips the menu and automatically begins Game A; the player must press Select in order to access the menu.
The development of Joust as a launch title for an Atari-distributed system would have a prominent knock-on effect on HAL and Nintendo's future. The game was one of the first titles to be programmed by Satoru Iwata, who would go on to become a vital asset to HAL thanks to his coding skills before becoming Nintendo's president in 2002, and his experiences developing Joust would help him program Balloon Fight.
Because of the circumstances behind their conception, the Japanese versions of these three games all feature title screens reminiscent of Famicom launch titles, with the copyright information uniformly reading "COPYRIGHT 1983 ATARI". When Nintendo of America exported the games to North America in 1988, the title screens were made more elaborate and the copyright info was updated. The ways of accessing the game's modes are also changed in the North American release; instead of having them all available on the title screen, the player must press Start in Defender II and Millipede to bring up a menu (itself displaying additional copyright information). In Joust, pressing Start skips the menu and automatically begins Game A; the player must press Select in order to access the menu.
The development of Joust as a launch title for an Atari-distributed system would have a prominent knock-on effect on HAL and Nintendo's future. The game was one of the first titles to be programmed by Satoru Iwata, who would go on to become a vital asset to HAL thanks to his coding skills before becoming Nintendo's president in 2002, and his experiences developing Joust would help him program Balloon Fight.
The Cutting Room Floor articles:
https://tcrf.net/Defender_II_(NES)
https://tcrf.net/Joust_(NES)#Regional_Differences
https://tcrf.net/Millipede_(NES,_HAL_Laboratory)
https://tcrf.net/Defender_II_(NES)
https://tcrf.net/Joust_(NES)#Regional_Differences
https://tcrf.net/Millipede_(NES,_HAL_Laboratory)
Related Games
Vegas Stakes
Kirby's Dream Land
Kirby Family
Kirby's Star Stacker
EarthBound 64
Metal Slader Glory
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition
Kirby's Avalanche
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Mother 3
Kirby Triple Deluxe
Kirby: Squeak Squad
Robotron: 2084
Super Smash Bros.
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
HyperZone
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Balloon Fight
Special Tee Shot
Kirby & the Amazing Mirror
Kirby's Dream Land 3
Stargate
Kirby's Dream Land 2
Kirby Super Star
Kirby's Dream Course
Arcana
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Kirby: Canvas Curse
Kirby's Pinball Land
Kirby: Planet Robobot
Pocket Monsters Stadium
Kirby's Super Star Stacker
Pokémon Stadium
Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble 2
Kirby Star Allies
Golf
Adventures of Lolo
Mach Rider
SimCity 64
EarthBound
Kirby's Block Ball
Adventures of Lolo 2
Kirby Super Star Ultra
Roll-o-Rama
Kirby's Air Ride
Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble
Kirby Mass Attack
Adventures of Lolo 3